


A Naga Story

by PugPackage



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Circus AU kinda, Danvin - Freeform, Implied Mpreg, Jon's the bad guy, M/M, Naga AU, Rating May Change, Sorry Jon, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-18
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-09-25 08:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9810566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PugPackage/pseuds/PugPackage
Summary: Dan gets captured and sold off to a sideshow/circus. He meets a filthy and mistreated Gavin, a pure boa, and things go from there. This wild snake is treated to a first hand look at the horrors of man, the hopes of a little girl to find her former companion, and the powerful beast their captors are trying to recreate. And perhaps finds his mate in this sad boa constrictor.





	1. Dan Arrives

**Author's Note:**

> wow so uh, i don't know how summaries work. this is cross posted from tumblr, so um. go follow me??? bifurious-bostonian.tumblr.com i'll admit i'm not the best writer but this AU and a seperate AU i've yet to debut in word format are my brain children so i'm soldiering on. expect pretty short, sporadic chapters after I get the first 7 posted.

Whomever said you should always be aware of your surroundings had never been a starving snake. When Dan was stuffing his face you could walk up behind him and knock him out and he’d be none the wiser. Unfortunately for him, this is exactly what happened. He’d been hunting when lucky him! He had stumbled up a dead deer carcass. The Black Mamba naga had been thrilled that he didn’t have to spend anymore energy to find his food.

While he was decimating the carcass of the deer, a human had crept out of the bushes and clocked him in the head. When he came too it was to the sensation of soft hands pressing a cool towel to his head that did it. He groans and blinks, his eyes bleary, semi aware of a small gasp and a quick shuffling sound. Dan sits up, rubbing his head and looking around. Realizing he’s not in the field by the deer he curls up into a striking pose, fangs bared.

He takes in the area, he’s in some kind of enclosure. There’s red cloth surrounding him and a broken caged cart at one end. There are threadbare blankets tossed inside it and spread around. Dan surmises he’s in a tent of some kind, but for what reason is still lost to him at the moment. There’s a few other curtained off areas to either side and he moves to inspect the ones behind him.

A small noise and a rustling of one of the other curtains nearby makes Dan turn. He gets a brief flash of a pair of eyes and a hand on the curtain, before the eyes go wide and duck behind the curtain. Dan hisses as he speaks, eyes narrowed. “Who’s there?!” He calls out, in native Naga tongue, his small hood flicking out at his hips.

There’s more rustling and what sounds like a heavy body dragging across the floor. The eyes return, greenish blue with the classic snake shine. They size up Dan, taking in his slim tail and black envenomed fangs and mouth as he tries to intimidate the eyes. The red curtain falls back after a moment. The person behind the curtain slithers out, sticking to the edge of the tent and revealing his full form. Though it doesn’t make Dan less nervous at all.

He backs up, scowling at the other person. “Who. Are. You.” Dan says, slower and louder as though that’s somehow going to make the other snake talk. The guy creeps closer, ever so slowly. He keeps his eyes on Dan’s until he gets to where the cool cloth dropped, picking it up and making a hasty retreat. “Gavin,” He mumbles, “I’m Gavin. Who’re you?” Gavin eyes Dan up, a nervous look in his eyes.

He’s a boa constrictor, on the smaller side due to having been underfed and not cared for well. His movement are odd and stilted, as though it hurts him to slither. It takes Dan a moment to realize it is because of his rather patchy skin. As though he hasn’t had a proper shed in a while. There wasn’t much to be said about his upper body, as it was hidden under a ratty, threadbare shirt. He could still wrap himself around Dan and squeeze him to death. The constrictors ability to speak their tongue eases his mind. Not enough to calm himself down all the way though.

“That doesn’t matter. Where am I? Who brought me here? Where is here?!” Dan asks, keeping himself in a defensive posture. He hisses and slithers around at about ¾ speed, inspecting every single bit of it. Gavin watches. “This is a circus. Sort of. They do a rather different act then is customary for Nagas.” Dan’s brow furrows. “Circus?” His pronunciation of the human word is clunky falling off his tongue.

“Yes. Circus. The men in control brought you here. I’m… not sure who they are, but they want to breed me. This is the most likely the reason you’re here. Now ah, your name, please?” Gavin murmurs and looks down, picking at an already scabbed over patch of skin. Dan puffs and slinks over, tugging his hand away. “Daniel. Or Dan. And don’t do that. You’ll get infected.” He doesn’t feel calm yet, hood still extended.

“Oh…” Gavin mumbles. Dan let’s go and heads back to his corner of the tent. Gavin is quiet for a while before speaking up. “Listen I-” There’s a loud bang and the curtains fly open. Once everything settles, an ornate cart is sitting there in the entrance. A pair of men walk into the tent and the larger growls at the state of affairs in front of him. “Now what is this?! You said he was a raging bull, ’s why ya’ll brought him in knocked out. Yet here he is, and he looks calm as a damn cucumber.” His companion shrugs and splutters. Unable to explain why Dan hadn’t forced himself on Gavin yet. Gavin looks rather smug.

Dan once again finds himself confused, not understanding half the man’s words. Gavin is slowly making his way to the in-tact cage, slipping into it and settling way at the back. “Aw, there’s a good girl.” The original man coos. Dan watches Gavin bristle at the pet name, his coils sliding tighter into each other, with a low hiss. “Goddamn am I glad you a breeder. If ya’ll did this everytime I got ya in there you’d have another thing comin’. Damn animal.” The man shuts the cart and goes to the side, holding out a hand. Gavin hesitates and the man makes a ticking sound with his mouth. He sheds the shirt and Dan nearly chokes.


	2. Baby Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a flashback! Where did you come from, where did you go, where did you come from cotton eyed boa. Where Gavin came from.

“Oh he’s just perfect! She’s going to love him.” A woman’s voice croons and Gavin peeks out of covered basket he’s in. Moments ago he’d been in the lavish tent with his mum, the only viable snakelet of his clutch, and the oldest. Having just turned six the previous year. His mother was a gorgeous Constrictor naga, the largest anyone had ever seen at a grand 40 feet, and powerful to boot. Her tail a luminous yellow base with caramel colored patches. In Gavin’s short life he’d had the pleasure of seeing her squeeze two full grown bison bulls to death. The same short life that saw him spanked for wandering into the field where said bison were preparing to fight.

Now he’s wrapped in the softest blanket he’d ever felt. Surrounded by weird slippery fabric with a bow around his neck. “Um, pardon Ma'am, but am I going to see my mummy ever again?” Gavin chews his lip as the woman in the carriage above looks down at him with a kind smile. “Why of course munchkin! Your ma is my dearest friend, I’d never think of keeping ya’ll apart for good. Now back in you go, Megan can’t see you when we get to the house, it’d ruin the surprise.” She winks at him.

Gavin smiles and nods. “Yes ma'am!” He slips back in and curls up for a nap. “Goodness his little accent is just precious. He’ll be a beaut, just like his momma. Don’t you think dear?” The woman’s husband nods with a smile and flips the page of his paper.

When Gavin wakes up their no longer moving. He can hear lots of excited ripping and the squeals of a happy little girl. There’s a lull in the squeals before an excited scream. Gavin jumps a little as footsteps run towards him, getting louder and louder. They stop in front of his basket and he looks around, not sure what’s going to happen next. His cover gets jerked away, the light from the room blinding him. He blinks a little while his new partner gasps and a giant smile spreads across her face. Her hands plant themselves on her cheeks and she shrieks, “He’s BEAUTIFUL!” There’s a squawk as he’s lifted and a cheek shoved against his. “Is his mommy that pretty snake-lady you train momma? Is she is she? He’s just as pretty! Is that his dad’s coloring? What’s his name? Can he speak English yet?” The excited eight year old babbles out questions.

Her mother laughs and ruffles her hair. “Calm down Meg, dear. You’re going to go down as the first human to crush a constrictor to death!” The little girl, Meg, flushes and sets him down. “I’m sorry baby snake. Are you okay?” Gavin coughs a little and nods. “Yes I’m fine Miss. And erm, yes my mummy is that lady. I’m Gavin and I do look like my daddy. Least roundabout my tail.” He asks, coiling up and puffing up his chest a bit. “Mum says I get my eyes from her!”

Meg hops around him. “I’m so happy!! Does this mean you’re gonna teach me how to do all those tricks momma?” Gavin’s heart swells with joy. He was going to be an acrobatic snake!! He loved watching his mother work with her partner, a lovely young man who spoiled Gavin rotten. Spending his nights curled up with her dreaming of one day performing all the tricks. Gavin hoped he’d be as graceful as her, despite her size, when he was grown.

They spent rest of Meg’s birthday in the backyard, playing tag. Gavin laughed when she got huffy and stomped her foot each time he slithered up the pear tree at the back of the lot. The ache soothed when he pulled down a few ripe fruits and gave them to her. Once night fell they had a bath and were put to bed. Meg’s mother giving them each a kiss goodnight before she shut the door and left them to sleep.

Meg fell asleep fast, tuckered out from all the excitement of her birthday, but Gavin was still excited and eager to explore. He slips out of his bed quietly and slithers to the window. Pushing it open he relishes the feeling the warm air on his skin and scales, beaming up at the moon in the sky. He couldn’t have imagined a better way to live his life.

Gavin stays with the Turneys a couple more days. Then he’s delivered back to his mother, who was glad listened to him rave about his first trip away from her. She runs her hand through his hair and chuckles at her beautiful boy. A couple weeks pass and they start their training on the acrobatic equipment. It’s tough going until both he and Meg are able to perform for the first time. Once they do, they’re a hit. People love them and after each show people, especially smaller children, mob Gavin to pet his tail and compliment Meg.

Unfortunately it didn’t last long. It was two years into traveling. Gavin had settled into his tent for the night after saying good night to the rest of the cast. As he slept, a couple of hired men had crept into his tent and drugged him. Carried off in the night, he started his new life as a sideshow attraction and breed sow. He’d give anything to go back to his old life. Dreaming everyday that Meg, his mom, or anyone from the circus would come find him.


	3. The Mad King (Cobra Crossbreed)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey looks it's Ryan! He's a dick! Enjoy! Warnings for Scars, um, Implied Sexual Abuse. Wow this fic is way darker than I remembered. But that's what I like to deal in. If Gavin's not sad or having a hard time I'm doing it wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryan’s got more of a “Mad King” personality in this fic. Because if I just kept it as normal Ryan I don’t think he’d have just let people fuck Gavin up the way he’s been fucked up. He's going to have moments where he's less of a dick in later chapters.

Gavin crosses his arms over his body. Curling in on himself a little, not soon enough for Dan to have gotten a decent view at his torso, though. It was skinny, like the rest of him, all joints and ribs. Decent carpet of hair covers his chest and torso. Years of torment etched into his skin in the form of criss crossed pale scars in varying thicknesses. Wounds in sets that lead Dan to believe they’re from the claws of other Nagas Gavin had… encountered. The nature of the encounters is not something Dan wanted to think about.

As if reading his mind, his eyes travel lower to the real testament of just how bad Gavin is treated in this ‘circus’. Dan is still not sure what that word means, but if this was it he didn’t like it one bit. Gavin’s right hand moves to cover his exposed egg slit. Of everything on Gavin’s body he’s seen, that part is going to haunt Dan’s dreams. The organ is swollen. It looked like no one had even bothered with making sure Gavin had been cared for during clutches. The section of his tail that blended human and snake was also scratched at. In a much more violent fashion than his torso. Now that he’s seen it, it’s clear that it’s a decent factor in why Gavin doesn’t move as well as he should.

It tugged at Dan’s heart, it’d tug at any Naga’s heart really, and he’s rendered immobile. While Gavin’s cart is closed and locked. He jolts back to attention when the man snaps a collar around his neck. Dan roars and rears up, flinging himself down onto the man and pinning him.

He relishes the fear in the man’s eyes, hood flaring as he bares his teeth, fully prepared to sink them into this human. Rightfully ending his life, in Dan’s mind. Until the trader who’d sold Dan to this place jabs a cattle prod in his side. He howls and slumps to the side, the man getting up with a loud 'FUCK’ and kicking Dan in the side. “Fucking asshole! I’ll forgive ya this time, boy. But next time you act out, I ain’t gonna let you off easy.” The Man growls. “Get that fucking whore to his spot.”

Dan watches, clutching his side, as Gavin’s wheeled out to the main body of the sideshows and out of his sight. He close his eyes. Taking a few moments to work through the pain and sits up. He slithers slowly to the entrance they pulled Gavin out of and slips into the fray of the sideshow.

Children run and shriek through the fair grounds. Pointing and laughing at a cornucopia of different attractions. Bearded ladies, various people swallow swords, fire, what have you. It was almost too much for the wild Naga, but he worked his way through it. Hoping he’d come upon Gavin’s cage at some point. He still had questions. Pity or not, he was going to get the answers.

Dan eventually locates Gavin’s spot and starts heading towards it. Before he can reach it, a heavy weight on his tail stops him, he turns and what he sees makes his blood run cold. A naga, far larger than even the healthiest female boa or python, is looking down at him with a raised eyebrow. “You’re small for a cobra.” The new snake hisses out in their native language, a low rumble of laughter following the observation. Dan stays quiet, not wanting to risk starting anything with this beast of a snake. “Ryan. I’m sort of the King around here. Least of all the snakes.”

Dan hackles are raised a little. “So you’ve 'been with’ Gavin then?” He keeps none of the (hypothetical) venom out of his voice. “Oh, oh god no! No! I would never. Ugh. Too used.” Ryan makes a face, offended by the idea of him breeding with Gavin. “I have taste, unlike the bastards they drag in here. Mindless brutes.” Ryan scoffs, haughty air still firmly about him.

Dan makes a disgusted noise, this snake had to be mad to talk about a purebred boa in such a manner. “Everyone here’s a bloody lunatic.” He murmurs and tries to slither away, much to Ryan’s amusement. The much larger snake opens his mouth to jab back at him, but no sooner does he do that when a loud howl startles both snakes. Their attention pulled to the cage currently housing Gavin.


	4. A Stone's Throw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin's pissed and goes native. There's some graphic descriptions of Gavin's problem and what he does to people while angry.

There wasn’t much Gavin didn’t like about the sideshow part of his captivity. For the most part he’s left in relative solitude. No one prodded at him, scratched at him, or bothered talked to him. It was a few hours of bliss in his miserable life. The only true nuisance was groups of young boys who took a great deal of pleasure in throwing rocks at him. Like the particularly strong armed group that came round today. The barrage of stones was relentless and painful and Gavin had finally had enough of it.

He uncoils a bit, meaning to tell them off, when a well aimed rock slams itself into his gaped slit, wedging itself. In a defensive measure his body seals the organ away the best it can,serving only to push the rock deeper. Only causing Gavin more pain. Now he wouldn’t be able to remove the obstruction with ease, his muscles pressing it deeper still, into sorer and sorer parts of his tract. Gavin howls and rears up, slamming his full weight against the carts side, closest to the boys. He growls, eyes going full snake, blending in with the coloring around his eyes, the pupils narrowing. Nearly disappearing into the yellow surrounding them.

He rears back and slams himself against the side again, roaring this time as the cage tips and soon falls, wood splintering and bars creaking as the old, poorly kept cart smashes. Which frees the now feral naga. Gavin’s tongue slips from his mouth, a hiss following. He smells around and slithers forward, the children screaming and running off, the crowd soon following. Gavin lunges at one, only managing to scratch the boy clothes and arm. Leaving a decent wound in his wake.

Several sideshow workers run up, lassoing his arms to try and pin him. Gavin howls and yanks his arms towards himself flinging the workers into his space, where they’re wrapped in his tail. The coils begin to tighten as Gavin squeezes them, the men shrieking and fighting the tightening coils of the constrictor. The small part of his brain that’s still human takes great satisfaction in their suffering, watching them turn blue, a few small cracks already audible as arms and legs start to break. The rest of the workers begin to panic, frantically tugging on his coils to free their trapped coworkers.

Dan looks on with mixed horror and awe, having not expected the beaten down and abused constrictor to have any fight in him. Ryan simply observes the chaos with amusement, and heavily concealed nervousness. He’d been here longer than Gavin, and had never seen the snake lose it before.

A loud gunshot spooks Gavin, causing him to releasing the workers and rear up with a shriek. Then slamming his full weight back down, turning tail and slithering off at top speed. The Owner growls and walks up, smoking shotgun in hand. “Goddammit! What the hell happened?!” One of the workers wordlessly points in the direction of a weak blood trail, to a tent the terrified and wounded child had hid himself in.

The Man growls and shouts to one of the workers. “Call that Ramsey dame and tell her to get her ass up here!” He barks and storms over to the kid. In the commotion Dan frees himself from where he’s wedged under Ryan and goes to search for Gavin. Disregarding Dan, the boss wrenches the kid towards him by the wounded arm. “What the fuck did you do to my egg-layer, boy?” He growls in the boy’s face, barely an inch from it. “Why is he actin’ like that? Ya’ll better talk before I make you talk.” The owner spits in the child’s face, who starts sputtering out an answer.

Dan slithers his way around the sideshow looking for where Gavin could have gone. He hears a strangled roar different from what he’s heard from Gavin in the past few minutes. He heads in that direction, slithering as fast as he can, concerned the other snake has managed to hurt himself more in his feral state. When he gets to where he heard the roars from he’s confronted with a new set of tents. Curiously, he sticks his head inside. What he sees is certainly not what he expected.

Gavin’s got his tail wrapped around one of the ‘trained’ tigers, the source of the strangled roar. The last dying cry of the large cat. It’s being torn to pieces by claws and teeth. The skinny, starving snake having forgotten the threat to fill his stomach. Dan stays back, torso wise Gavin was smaller than him, but with his crushing power he could easily overpower him. Not something Dan is particularly keen on.

As Gavin moves the tigers corpse around a claw hooks Gavin’s sore spot and he howls. Flinging the half eaten cat in preference of writhing in pain. His long body flinging and twisting around has he cries and whimpers. Crashing into the cloth walls of the tent, posts and other animal cages. Causing the big cats inside to hiss and roar, unhappy with the intrusion and lashing out, occasionally adding a few new scratches to Gavin’s tail.


	5. The Snake Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Griffon arrives to help our hurt protagonist and who could this strange lady be????? I'm bad at snake speak. EDIT: Removed any direct references to Millie, didn't know there was an unwritten thing about not using her in fiction. Hopefully the changes make sense!

“Dammit Geoffrey can’t this thing move any faster?!” Griffon shouts to her husband, leaning out of the window of the carriage. Geoff huffs and says back. “Look we didn’t account for Gavin losing his goddamn mind. I’m getting there as fast as I can!” She growls and shakes her head, pulling herself back into the carriage. They were an odd married couple, and she couldn’t necessarily fault the man too much for any hesitance on his part. Her specialization in the care of Nagas, and Geoff’s crippling fear of anything serpentine the only point of contention between the two. But apart from that it was a loving marriage, the both of them doing their best to care and provide for their daughter.

Her assistant, Mica, looks at the milk snake sitting next to her, who is grumpily looking out the window. “I thought we were going to get this poppycock over with today, Madame Ramsey.” Michael huffs, lifting up his tail for Mica to pet and inspect. “The splinter isn’t going to remove itself from Ray’s tail.” Griffon sighs and presses a gloved hand to her forehead. “I know, I know. But this is a pressing emergency.” She says, shoving herself out of the window again.

She’s sees the tents in the distance and sighs, relieved that they’re almost to the circus. If she could even call it that. Griffon despised what they did with snakes there, but she feared what they’d do to their ‘collection’, as they call it, if she reported them to the authorities. She’d cared for them, Gavin especially, since a great deal of them were very little. If any of them were killed she’d be devastated. The most she could do was be on call night and day as well as provide regular monthly check ups.

Geoff brings the carriage to a stop when they get there and has almost no time time to grab the bag of tools next to him before his wife is dragging him down from his perch. “Woah, woah Griff!! Calm down.” She gives Ryan a cursory nod as he slithers past in the opposite direction, steadfast on her course. Mica trails not far behind, giving Ryan’s tail a pat. Despite his stuck up nature he looks at her with an affectionate chuckle.

It doesn’t take long for Griffon to find what she’s looking for. If the drapes of the tent flapping with the enclosed injured Naga’s thrashing a definite sign. The cacophony from inside was a better one. Griffon eyes the snake circling around just outside, having never seen him before. Sliding past the new snake man, she slips into the tent, rolling her eyes at Geoff’s girlish shriek before and when they get inside. “What’s wrong with him?!” His voice is up about five octaves and he clutches at his necktie and collar.

“He’s hurt, Geoff.” She approaches Gavin, but finds it difficult due to his frantic writhing and rapid coiling. After a few minutes she makes it to where she can straddle his body without risk of being crushed, with his torso and junction available to her.

Gavin pauses at the weight on him, looking at Griffon, pupils rapidly shifting sizes as he tries to make out why the human part of him recognizes her. The rock shifts, sending him into another fit with a small howl. Almost bucking Griffon off. “God almighty, if only I could keep him from going into tantrums.” She murmurs.

A soft hand on her shoulder startles her, and she turns to look into the eyes of a young woman. Righting herself, the young woman clears her throat, opening and closing her mouth a few times, appearing to have some difficulty in getting her words out. She successfully finds her words after a few minutes. “Perhaps, ma'am, I could be of some assistance?” Griffon nods, grateful. “If you can, that’d be lovely.”

The stranger nods, her face determined, and she slowly approaches Gavin’s head. Tugging her skirts up slightly to make it easier, she kneels and takes Gavin’s head in her hands, one on each side. “Alright… you’re alright lovely boy.” Lifting his head she wiggles herself forward so his heads on her lap.

Griffon smiles as Gavin calms down a little. Chest moving up and down at a fast pace as he hyperventilates, eyes roving the other woman’s face. She runs a hand through his hair. “There we go, there’s a lad.” She coos, and he reaches up, she takes his hand with one hand and gives it a squeeze. “Hurrrrzzzzz…..” He whines, his human side clawing itself out of a hole to try and communicate. Gavin’s whimpering as tears drip down the sides of his face, staining the skirt of her dress when they reach it.

“Shhhhh… I know darling, it hurts. We’re going to fix it.” The young woman coos at him. Gavin whines again, louder and shriller. “Huuuuurrrrrzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!” He hiccups and claws at his groin with his free hand, not doing much besides adding more little scratches. Griffon pushes his hand away. “Geoff, could you please help hold his tail down at the end?” Geoff stays still. “Nuh-uh. No way. I am NOT getting near him.” Rolling her eyes, Mica grabs the bag of tools and brings it over to Griffon. “I’ve got it, ma'am.” Trotting over she hands it out to Griffon before bear hugging the end of Gavin's tail. “Thank you Miss Burton."

Geoff squeals as Mica backs up next to him to stretch Gavin out a bit and make it harder for him to squirm. "You're gonna be fine, Geoff." She rolls her eyes. Griffon sheds a few layers so she can roll up her sleeves. “Alright, Miss, I’m going to need you to hold both his hands.” The woman nods and takes his other hand, squeezing it lightly. Gavin whines and tugs, trying to free his hand a little to keep clawing at himself, but she holds tight. 

Dan slips in and circles around in a wide circles until he’s in the best vantage point to keep an eye on what’s happening. He’s learned to be even less trusting of the human’s that show up to this place, especially if they’ve got anything to do with Gavin. And his parts. 

Both women look over at Dan for a few moments, eyeing him up before going back to Gavin. Griffon rests a hand next to Gavin’s slit, pressing slowly and trying to part it open with care. The touch causes Gavin to shriek and thrash. Griffon curses a bit. “Shit. If we could just keep him distracted.” A quiet descends on the tent, save for Gavin’s whimpers of pain, and Geoff’s whimpers of pure terror. So many snakes, he loves his wife dearly but why was he required to attend calls? After a few moments the young woman snaps her fingers. “I’ve got it!” She yanks her skirt up, making Geoff yelp and cover his eyes. “I’m not looking Griffon! I swear!” The woman in question rolls her eyes. "Okay Geoffrey." The young woman pulls a small pistol out of a thigh holster, running off out of the tent.


	6. Removing the Rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They remove the rock, Dan confronts the Mystery Woman.

Griffon shushes a whimpering Gavin while looking at Dan. “You’re an interesting fella aren’t you?” Dan snorts through his nose, narrowing his eyes and turning his head to the side, not bothering to answer her. Definitely not having anything to do with not wanting to sound like an idiot for not knowing English well. “Okay… not a conversationalist. And not the most skittish wild mamba I’ve seen. Odd.” She murmurs to herself as she waits for the young woman to come back. Dan shoots her an almost offended look. He was strong and fast. What need does he have to be skittish when he could easily kill her with a strike? He makes a noise to indicate his hurt feelings, pouting a little. 

Griffon looks in the direction of a small pop that goes off in the distance and here’s footsteps fast approaching. The woman comes back, dangling a dead possum by it’s tail and looking mighty proud of herself. “I got something!” Griffon opens her mouth to ask her what she plans to do with the dead animal, brow furrowed. “I figure if he’s got something to chew on it might distract him.” She shrugs, smiling crookedly. 

Humming thoughtfully. "A good idea. You'd make a good doctor, young lady." Griffon shifts to let the young woman hoist Gavin’s torso up to lean against her legs and chest. He makes an odd ‘prrrrrp’ sound and looks around, to the side and up at this newcomer. Or was she new? His tongue flicks out. She smelled new. Like blood and gunpowder. The perfume from before is still there. Maybe she’s the same. There’s also a deeper smell, one that drags him back to his childhood. Fuzzy memories his snake brain can’t quite pull to the surface at the moment. 

“Hey buddy! Look what I got for ya!” She starts wiggling the possum near Gavin, much like one would with a cat and a toy. The only downside was that the smell caught Dan’s attention, too. He slithers around a little more, still keeping his distance but keeping an eye on the possum. Gavin makes the same odd cat sound from before and flicks his tongue out at the possum. “Ooooo I bet that smells good, yeah?” She laughs, wiggling it a little more. 

While he’s distracted with the possum, the young woman slowly works her other hand down his torso. Until she can part the soft flesh of his groin, trying her best not to hurt him. When he makes a little noise of pain she brings the possum closer so he can feel it and explore it. Dan himself makes a soft disappointed noise. “Go hunt your own possum, buddy. This one is for this big brave boy.” She sticks out her tongue at the wild snake cheekily. Gavin paws at the dead animal and yanks it from the woman’s hands to gnaw at it, which Dan had to admit was pretty cute.

“Oh god that’s so groooooss.” Geoff whines, making a grossed out face at Gavin’s gnawing on the carcass. Griffon rolls her eyes and uses Gavin’s distraction to fish the rock out of his nethers. It catches a little on the way out and Gavin squeaks around the possum, but otherwise calms down enough to stop wiggling his tail back and forth. His eyes shift to Griffon's hand, watching it delve in and back out carefully, blinking a couple times. 

Once it's all over he sits up and inspects the rock in Griffon’s hand a little. “Thangzzzzzzzz.” Griffon laughs. “Maybe get a little less snakey before you try to talk, Gavin. I’m gonna go talk to the boss. Because you’re a damn mess down there.” She shakes her head, disappointed in the care people having been giving Gavin. Which is almost none. Though she keeps smiling at Gavin to keep him happy, despite the storm brewing in her head. “And thank you Miss fo-” She looks up, only to find the young woman had gone. “Oh…” Griffon furrows her brow but goes to apply a couple ointments to Gavin, having to get her fingers into him a little bit. It’s not as painful as the rock was to Gavin, but he makes a face, the ointment stinging ever so slightly. “Hey Geoffrey, catch.” She tosses the rock at her husband, who squeals and leaps away from it wildly.

He abandons the possum, having eaten his fill of tiger, and Dan slithers in at top speed and snatches it up to rip it to bits. He's not risking taking his time with his food anymore, having learned his lesson from the last time. Dan stuffs it in his face as he goes off in the direction he saw the young woman head. Into the woods he goes he catches up to her in no time at all. Arching up over her he hisses and clumsily tries to ask about Gavin in English. After a few minutes of this she sighs with a roll of her eyes and says.

“Would you rather I spoke your language, Mr. Wild Snake?”


	7. Spin Us A Yarn, Megan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Meg have a chat, and Meg figures out what they're trying to do with her friend.

Meg springs out of bed, dashing through her morning routine before firing herself out the door to the tent the Naga’s are kept in. Today was the day she and Gavin were going to start work on a new routine. New costumes, new techniques. She was absolutely excited to get started, bursting into the tent her scaled partner slept in. “Hey Gavvy! Time to get up sleepy head!” Meg chirps as she enters, looking around the tent filled with pillows and blankets and stuffies. “Gav?” She looks around, giggling a little. “You playing hide and seek buddy?” The little nine year old wanders through the tent, lifting up blankets and moving the pillows. “Gavin…?” Furrowing her brow she leaves the tent.

Heading for the food tent she figures he’s gotten up early to get himself some breakfast. She looks under each of the tables, going into the woods just a little bit and looking there. A bit of panic sets in and she bursts back into his tent. “Gavin?! C’mon Gavin this isn’t funny anymore! Come out or I’m telling on you!” She demands, stomping her foot to try and hide the fear. After a few more minutes of total silence Meg sucks in a breath, pushing back tears. “Maybe he’s with his mom…” She mumbles, turning and speed walking to the bigger tent. Meg hides her face from anyone she passes, not wanting them to see her crying over something that’s probably nothing. Right? It’s nothing. Gavin just got scared and went to his mom’s tent. No big deal.

No big deal. Meg repeats it again in her head as she pauses at the entrance to Ms. Free’s quarters.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Meg cuts herself off there, sighing out a shaky breath and swallowing. “She couldn’t find him either. We all searched for days. My legs were covered in scratches from tearing through the forests looking for my snake friend.”

Dan rests there quietly, curled up and looking down at the ground. “I’m sorry…. Are you sure that Gavin is your snake?” He asks, tilting his head to one side as Meg shakes her head violently up and down. “Postive! His tail pattern is exactly the same! I’d never forget that, even if it is dirty and scratched up and the skin is patchy. That’s my boy.” She says, firmly, making direct eye contact with Dan. “Now, how did a wild black mamba wind up in some trash mongers illegal breeding ring?”  
Dan coughs a little. “I uh, was tricked. They set out easy bait and we’re opportunists at times so. They whacked me on the head and I guess sold me off.” Meg stares at him for a good while, studying him carefully. He curls in on himself a bit shamefully as she starts trying to stifle laughter. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry that’s just… that’s adorable. A big scary mamba taken down by his appetite.” Meg crouches down as she laughs, eventually regaining her composure and standing back up. Clearing her throat she wills herself back into a semi-serious state. “You can’t let Gavin know I’m around. I don’t know what his mindset is about what happened back then, but whatever he’d try to do would just draw the ire of his……” She looks uncomfortable. “Handlers.”

Dan nods, committing it to memory.

“Also I want you to take care of him, get those scales shining, protect him, the full nine.” Meg gives him a firm look. “You seem like a reasonable guy, and you’re from the same region. Most importantly, you’re wild. You haven’t been raised to be a bull.” Dan tilts his head to the side, furrowing his brows. “A snake bred to just breed like a beast. It’s awful.” Meg looks physically disgusted. “Get him to teach you English. I’m not sure if that woman who was helping him out speaks your language, but it’ll still be useful.”   
“I feel like I should be taking notes.” Dan quips, crossing his arms over his chest. “But I suppose I’ll manage. Basically learn English and get him to the Prince of the Jungle he is?” Meg laughs and nods. “Yeah basically. Now get back before they send out a search party.” She directs him back to the sideshow. “I’ll be in touch.” Dan nods, turning to head back to the tents as Meg turns to head back to her own camp.

As she walks, she sighs and runs a hand down her face, a shape moving in the corner of her eye catching her attention. It turns sharply, lunging for her and she pulls out her little pistol. Firing a single shot she comes face to face with yet a third Naga, not nearly as long as Gavin but patterned similarly, fangs that she thinks probably shouldn’t be there bared. There’s a not-so-comforting chuckle as the mouth closes and the fangs retreat. “You’re a fast little thing, aren’t you. I'll have to keep an eye on you.” Meg shudders, keeping her eyes trained on the beasts blues as he turns and heads back to the show, turning and waving at her. Swallowing she takes a shaky breath and keeps walking, speeding up to put more distance between her and this bizarre crossbreed.“So that’s their game…” She mutters, exhaling. 

Gavin had to be removed from that place, as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Griffon has a few words with the owner of the circus and then the Breeder himself. After a dangerous stand off Griffon has some demands. They're met and Gavin is bathed and given a proper lesson in getting himself molted. Dan is given some ominous information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon's not quite the worst villain ever, yet. His brand of evil will come up in later chapters. I wanted the breeder to be a bit misogynistic and in my heart of hearts I just wasn't going to cast Jon in that light. Also introducing Jeremy as someone who actually gives a fuck.

Griffon storms her way through the side show, towards the set of trailers and old train cars that served as living quarters. Steaming she bangs a fist on the door to the owner’s car and back up, crossing her arms. The door is opened and a very nonplussed, perhaps even a bit annoyed, man stands there. “Can I help you?” He asks, tired sounding. “You fixed my snake, right?” Griffon huffs. “Yes. I fixed your snake, Jon. Let me in. I have something I need to speak with you about.” 

Rolling his eyes, Jon stands to the side and gestures her into the room. She stomps in, standing in the corner, watching him go to his desk. “What’s the matter? Did the bank not give you the money for the last visit? I’m good for it.” Griffon puffs herself up. “That’s not why I’m here. How can you keep Gavin in that state and what the hell has been happening to him?” Jon rolls his eyes and turns to look at her. “I’m putting him to work is what I’m doing. I hired and independent breeder, so whatever he’s doing is his issue.” 

“But you’re his boss, the poor boy is a mess down there. If he gets sick and dies, that’s on you. I’m doing the best I can.” Jon sighs. “Alright look, if you want to preach at someone about how he’s being treated. Go talk to the breeder. As long as that cash cow brings in the money, he’s getting the treatment he gets.” Griffon, infuriated, throws the bill for her visit onto his desk. “How do you sleep at night, Mr. Risinger?” “Quite well, Mrs. Ramsey.” He responds, regarding her coolly and plucking up the bill to look at it, shooing her with his other hand. 

Offended, she turns on her heel and stomps out of the trailer, asking a nearby grunt where the breeders quarters were. Mica catches up to her. “Tools are back in the carriage, anything else you need?” She ignores the looks she gets from circus goers. “Yes, actually. Back me up to this breeder. They’re all a pack of hounds with no respect for the ‘fairer sex’. Bet they’d just pass out if they had to do what we’ve done.”   
Mica laughs and tugs a revolver from her bag, checking the chamber before discreetly sliding it into her waistband. “Of course.” After a few moments she speaks up again. “What about Michael?” “He’ll be fine. A splinters not too bad Ray’ll live if he has to wait a bit more.” Griffon bursts into the breeder’s tent, arms crossed and puffed up, making herself look as intimidating as possible. 

The breeder looks up from polishing his gun, and Mica’s hand settles itself on her waist, near the handle of her own weapon. Just in case. “Can I help you ladies?” Griffon strides forward fearlessly. “Yes, I’m the doctor this show employs to keep their snakes in good health. But I can’t do that if you’re performing improper breeding tactics. Either change your ways or I’ll see to having your license revoked.” The man snarls and stands, snapping the chamber of his gun back into the weapon as he does. “Ya’ll better go back to jobs that are proper for a coupla ladies. Be a shame if the man of the household had to bury the Missus because she ain’t know her place.” Griffon is taken aback a bit, taking one step back but not changing her stance one bit. 

“Ex-cuse me?! What does my husband have to do with any of this?! He’s not the doctor here, neither is he the breeder.” Mica quietly works her way around the table and the man, keeping an eye on him as Griffon holds her position. “It’s my job to ensure the safety and well being of the snakes here. I may not agree with humans crossbreeding Naga, but I’ll be damned if some backwater, hillbilly, no good criminal is going to keep me from sticking up for his well being. You change your practices or you won’t like it the next time I come to check up on him.” She gets in his face, jabbing him in the chest. Daring him with her eyes for him to do something. 

Growling he cocks his gun and prepares to shove it under Griffon’s chin, when cold steel is pressed to the back of his head. “Safety’s already off, pal. Now I think Mrs. Ramsey’s got some requirements for you, and you should listen. If you want to keep your brains in your skull.” Contemplating his options, he exhales with a snarl and chucks the gun to the side. “Fine. Ya’ll win. Whaddya want out of me?” Mica backs up and lowers her gun a little, still keeping it trained on his back. Griffon mentally deflates, the slight jolt of fear leaving her. 

“Keep him clean. Have him washed immediately after I leave and baths are at a minimum twice a week in warm water.” “Now where the hell am I gonna find someone who knows how to get that much rot offa him?” “You’re new Naga knows. Let him do it.” Griffon says a bit flippantly, annoyed with his attitude. She continues. “No breeding outside his season.” “Aw come o-” The gun is re-cocked behind him. “Right, got it.” He thinks to himself that there’s no way she can truly enforce that demand, and he likes his spine. “Feed him regularly.” There’s a grunt. 

“Repeat that back to me.” 

“Two baths weekly. No breeding outside the season for Boa’s. Feed him on the regular.” He parrots back, with a fake ‘child parroting things back to a teacher’ voice. Figuring it’s the best she’ll get out of him she backs up. Not necessarily satisfied but Rome was neither built nor defeated in a day. “We’re going.” She says curtly. Mica nods, lowering her gun but keeping it cocked and ready as they leave the tent. 

The man growls and slumps back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “I see that kid what threw the rock again… his momma’s buryin’ him.” He snarls, taking up his gun again and continuing to clean it. Pissed, he calls over one of his lackeys. “Clean out one of those old tubs layin’ around, plug it up, and put it in the holding tent. Then fill it with warm water.” The Breeder barks, pausing to pull out a cigarette and lighting it up. Once their gone he laughs. “Like them girls can hold me too any a’ that.” He mutters, inspecting the gun and setting to the side. “Oughta have a chat with the boss man about her. Maybe get us a new doctor.” Ryan slides into the tent, settling himself to the side of him. 

“And what would that accomplish? Most doctors are far more strict than her. Patience is a virtue, one that the previous breeder didn’t understand.” Ryan inspects his nails, ignoring the heated gaze sent his way. “Ya’ll ain’t got nothin’ better to do, killer?” “No. I’ve simply learned something interesting I thought you ought to know.” A mad grin slides across the crossbreeds face and his eyes flash, glancing up at the man who’s turned his chair to face Ryan. “Do tell.” Ryan chuckles, grin widening.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------  
Gavin, back to his usual state, groans and sits up in the holding tent. He looks around before a scraping noise startles him. Turning to face it he watches a few men drag in an old porcelain tub, a few behind them hauling buckets of slightly steaming water. Once it’s set down the waters dumped in. Dan slides in from the side, observing them closely as well. He glances over at Gavin before back to them. “This happen before?” Gavin shrugs. “Once. Probably.” Both of them back up a bit when one of the men approaches them. He takes off his hat, holding it to his chest. “Afternoon. Names Jeremy.” He thrusts a hand out and Dan hisses, sliding in front of Gavin who peeks around him, curling around himself. “Uh. Alrighty then.” Jeremy drops the hand to the side. “Orders from the boss man say you have to get him washed up.” He says to Dan, gesturing behind him to Gavin. Dan’s got a mild look of confusion and Gavin speaks up for him. “Alright. Thank you.”

Sliding out from behind Dan he slithers towards the tub, the men hurrying to back up, having heard (and seen) the results of Gavin’s anger. He dips a hand into the water and finding it pleasant looks up at the rest of them. “You can go.” They scramble to leave and Jeremy hang back a bit, keen to observe the Naga interacting a bit. He meets Gavin’s gaze and his heart aches for a moment as he draws his eyes over the large snake. “They treat you awful, don’t they. Damn shame. Boa’s are a gorgeous species.” Jeremy says, setting his hat back on his head. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to holler for me.” Gavin nods and hauls himself into the tub. 

“He must be new.” He muses to Dan, who slithers over once Jeremy leaves. “None of the old ones would stoop themselves to actually pitying me.” Gavin sighs, leaning back happily in the warm water. He makes an attempt to get some of his unshed skin off to no avail, sighing. “It’s no use I haven’t shed properly in years.” He murmurs and turns over crossing his arms on the edge of the tub. Pouting. Dan tilts his head and glides over, hauling as much of Gavin’s tail into the tub as possible. “Soak your tail for a bit. Keep your upper skin half out of the tub for now. I’ll be right back.” Gavin looks at him, turning over and hauling himself up to balance on the edge of the tub. Getting more of his tail into the tub he watches Dan disappear out of the back. 

Dan darts through the woods at the back, keeping an ear out for any workers he might run into. Finding a dead tree he grins. “Perfect…” He murmurs to himself, carefully pulling off large pieces of the rough bark. While he’s there he finds a few small animals, swiftly killing them and carrying them back. If the human’s aren’t going to properly provide for Gavin, then he might as well. On the way back he spots a pair of rather raggedy baskets by the back of the tent. Peeking inside reveals two different items, one quite fluffy that Dan doesn’t recognize, and more substantial blankets. Plucking them up he heads back in, setting the hunted prey and the blankets by the cage. 

Making his way over to Gavin he shows the other basket to Gavin with an inquisitive look. “Towels, for drying off. Quite useful as the sun isn’t readily available to us in here.” Dan nods and sets them to the side. “You seem much more lively, the warm water is doing you good.” He hums, setting down the pieces of bark. Gavin eyes it, a little unsure. But… Dan is the wilder snake, and has clearly gotten himself through several molts on his own. If his shining scales are anything to go by. He decides to trust him for now. 

Picking up one of the pieces of bark Dan hauls a part of Gavin’s tail out of the water and gently buffs a patch of stuck skin with it. Gavin watches him work, the skin coming off easily. He whistles. “Well. Didn’t know you could use bark.” Dan laughs. “You captive bred snakes wouldn’t last a day.” Indignant, Gavin splashes him, huffing and crossing his arms but not stopping him. Dan continues on, shaking the water out of his hair. The buffing continues, working from the tip back on up, his tail turned this way and that. Eventually Dan gets to where Gavin’s genitals are and pauses, face going a little red and he looks away. “Erm. You think you could… Do that area yourself? One of the….” He pauses to remember the term. “Towels would be better.” Gavin looks at him, pleasantly shocked. Apart from Griffon he was totally unused to being given any kind of dignity regarding being touched there. He sits up and nods. “Yeah. Just circles right? Don’t put too much pressure?” Dan relaxes. “Yeah.” 

Reaching for one of the towels Gavin plucks it up and lifts himself from the bath. He gently starts to buff at patches of stuck skin, taking care around his groin itself, the area still more swollen than the rest. “Most ‘males’ they’ve sent in here don’t spend a minute caring about me.” Gavin says quietly, eyes getting a little wet. He sighs shakily and sets the towel to the side, sliding his torso under the water. Holding his breath he scrubs through his hair and scrubbing over his skin, getting the dirt of off him. Popping back up he sucks in a big breath and exhaling. Rubbing at his eyes he laughs. “Must be because they just pulled in some slag off the street. Haven’t been bred to just take.” 

Dan looks at Gavin, then to the side, tail swishing back and forth. “Course I haven’t been bred to do that. I’m a proper British gentleman. Mum would have a fit if I was a right bastard to other snakes. Whether I was their mate or not.” Gavin smiles and sinks into the water again. He sighs and looks over to Dan. “I hope… I hope you’re as wild as you say... You’re good company and I like being able to use our native tongue. My mum prided herself in teaching me how to speak it. Keep the culture going even in captivity. It’d be a shame if you were gone as soon as you arrived.” He coils himself up and lays his head on his arms. Gavin sighs. Dan is about to ask what exactly Gavin means by all that before Gavin speaks up again. “Get my back for me?” 

Dan nods, soaking in the bits of information Gavin’s given him. “Yeah… yeah. I’ve got it.” He picks up the towel and washes off Gavin’s back the top of his tail, carefully getting a few leftover patches of skin. Gavin sighs and slides himself out of the tub once given the go ahead from Dan, drying himself off with some more of the towels and slithering towards the cage to settle in for the night. “Mamba’s are known for their speed and venom, right?” Dan swallows, his tone of voice is somber. With a hint of hope buried in it. “Yeah.” “Good. You’ll need it. Sleep. There’s a show tomorrow.” Gavin curls up in the back of the cage, gesturing to the front of the cage. Dan swallows and nods, questions catching in the back of his throat. Gathering up a few of the blankets from the basket he builds a more proper nest of blankets for the two of them. Curling up and settling in, Dan pushes the questions to the back of his mind, only letting sleep take him once he hears soft snores from Gavin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried a new format, combining two chapter ideas into one to make a slightly longer chapter. Tell me if you like this better or you prefer the shorter chapters. uvu And I have to admit while I was writing the dialogue for the Breeder I was thinking in Jesse McCree's voice. That's entirely coincidental though ha ha.


	9. Mortal Combat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Ryan meet in the pit, the true intentions of the circus become clear to Dan. As well as the true might of the Mad King. Are his speed and venom going to be enough to save him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for this chapter are violence. Not entirely graphic in nature but still. They fight. Please enjoy this chapter!

Dan’s woken up the next day by way of being jabbed with a stick in his side. He growls and slithers in a circle, trying to get away from the annoyance. What could anyone possibly want out of him this early? He opens his eyes slightly and is greeted by two fuzzy shapes. Dan pushes himself up, yawning as he does. The shape in front chuckles, satisfied, and shoves the stick at the human behind him. “See, buddy. That's how you wake the beasts up. Now get the other one up. We ain't got time to fiddle around being nice.”

Dan blinks sleep out of his eyes as the shorter man watches his companion leave. He recognizes the human as the one who brought the towels the previous night. There’s a scoff and he shakes his head, the stick tossed on the ground beside him. “Bullshit.” Jeremy mutters, going to the heavy curtains behind the cage and throwing them open. Sunlight streams in, warming Dan's scales as he slips from the cage to bask in the sun. The light reaches Gavin and after a few minutes he stirs. Jeremy grins and reaches in through the bars to pat at Gavin’s tail. “You shed real well, buddy.” He says as Gavin slowly works his way out of the cage, curling up sleepily in the sun next to Dan.

Gavin yawns wide, popping his jaw open fully for a moment before closing it again. A horrifying display to the other two people in the tent. Dan whistles. “Big gob you got there.” Gavin makes a small noise. “For swallowing big prey. Not anything fancy like your venom and fangs.” Gavin adjusts and looks back at Jeremy, switching to English. “What’s your deal?” Jeremy shrugs. “I like snakes. But I couldn’t find decent work in legitimate fields. So here I am.” There’s a shout and Jeremy looks in that direction. “I gotta go.” He waves to the snakes and jogs off, leaving them to sun themselves.

Gavin yawns again, sitting up a bit more and looking over at Dan, once again slightly worried. Dan is about to question it when a crew of men comes in and starts trying to herd Gavin towards the other end of the tent. His movements are skittish, turning this way and that. The movements the men make are skittish. The story of Gavin's rampage having finally worked it's way through the crew. Soon enough Dan is alone in the tent and he settles in to wait. Staring off into the woods. He goes to their makeshift nest and searches around until he finds one of the rabbits and downs it. The longer Gavin’s gone the more nervous Dan becomes. He’s swallowed up in worry. Have they decided to put him down? Is that a thing they do? It sounds like it is. But it also seemed like Gavin was worth a lot to them. He tries to nap, hoping some time unconscious would relieve him of his worry.

It doesn’t work and soon the men are back. He's herded with extreme care into a cage. He fights his best, thrashing and bearing his fangs at them, but they're out of striking range. It does is excite them though, laughing and elbowing each other. “Looks like we got a real contender here.” It confuses Dan, upsetting him further when he’s unable to understand them without Gavin. Eventually he’s loaded into the cage and it’s dragged to the big tent in the center of the side show. The men hooked the cage up into a little connecting tunnel and it’s opened up. He’s prodded a few times until he slithers forward. Slipping through the end of the tunnel into the ring in the center of a large roaring crowd. Dan looks around, at the crowd, at the tent. There’s a cage suspended in the middle of the whole area, housing Gavin. Dan’s heart leaps into his heart.

Gavin goes to the edge of the cage, purposely tilting it a bit with his weight to look down at Dan. Brows furrowed, worried for his new, fast friend. He wants to scream, to warn Dan what’s about to happen. But there’s no time. There’s a loud clattering sound that startles Dan a little and he retreats to his side of the ring. Out slides Ryan, fangs already extended and dripping in venom. Gavin gasps softly, pressing himself to the edge of the cage, gripping the bars. He’s seen it several times but each time The Mad King scares him. Dread fills him and he looks over at Dan, slithering over to that side of the cage to look at the Mamba. He whispers to himself. “Please be as fast as you say…” Mentally pleading.

Dan swallows. Ryan’s posture is reminiscent of other large dangerous snakes Dan’s squared off against in the wild. More snake than man. It dawns on him that he’s up against a beast, a hybrid of a constrictor and a cobra. This is why Gavin’s around. Why he’s not dead yet. They want a champion to rival Ryan. They’ve got the full package in Dan, the venom, the speed. He’s stunned at the horror of it all. These humans playing god with their genetics with no care to their own personal safety. Before he can digest it all, he’s slammed into a wall, pinned with The Mad King rearing over him. Prepared to sink his envenomed fangs into Dan. There’s a terrified gasp from above followed by a soft ‘no’. Dan is not dying here. Not until Gavin has his freedom. He wrenches himself to the side while bringing his tail up to whip the hybrid in the side of the head. It’s not enough to get him fully out of Ryan’s grip, his strength not enough. But he’s able to wind around him and get anything vital out of the way of the sharp fangs.

They squirm and grapple, tossing about the ring. The cage above them rattles and squeak as Gavin keeps moving to keep an eye on them. Dan rears up only to be knocked into the side of the ring head first. His head swims, vision blurry and he trashes with a wild shriek. Fangs extended and hood extended, he gnashes his teeth in what he hopes is Ryan’s direction. He feels a fang graze something and Ryan backs off, howling and clutching his side. Dan speeds away to the other side of the ring, trying his best to keep himself from blacking out. He coughs, retching a little but nothing comes up.

The Mad King gathers himself and slowly approaches Dan who scoots around. Playing a high stakes game of keep away with the hybrid naga. His breathing is shaky and he blinks until there’s only one of him. Ryan rears back and goes for a body slam. Dan only manages to get his torso out of the way, but his tail gets pinned. The constrictor side of Ryan makes itself known, a bit of Dan’s tail caught. The pressure is intense and Dan roars in pain. Loud shrieking sounds follow as a couple more sections snap and pop. The bones within shattered. He’s immobilized and collapses, staring up at Gavin who’s looking down, distraught. A few tears dripping down Gavin's face. Dan can’t let this end here. He can’t leave Gavin in this mess. He grits his teeth and shoves himself up. He does not have enough energy to extend his fangs. But gathers enough to sink his teeth into the Mad King's collar muscles.

Meg sits frozen in the stands, high up so she’s not recognized. A tad horrified at the spectacle. As well as the enjoyment the people around her are getting from the brutal display. At Dan’s roar she jolts, leaping into action and flinging herself forward through the crowd. She lifts her skirts to ease her movement. She pauses when Dan slams himself into Ryan, then getting his distance from him. The Mad King growls and feels at his neck. The muscles moving, jerky and almost with great effort. The small dose of Dan’s venom finally gets to work on the nervous system of such a big snake. The beast is drooling and blinking. Meg is struck by macabre fascination, such a small nick causing such damage.

Her fascination comes to an end when Dan collapses a few feet away. Ryan turns slowly and rears up, fangs extended to their full extent. She leaps into action again. Pulling her small revolver from its thigh holster. The ladies around her gasp at the weapon and the lewd display. Meg leaps into the ring and races towards the two nagas, sliding between them and raising the gun. She cocks it and pulls the trigger right as the Mad King lunges in to strike.  
“MEGAN!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so looOOOONG. But here it is! I finally updated this! I'm going back to single idea per chapter. It's less daunting a task for me. So I don't procrastinate as much.


End file.
